California Couple wed in dream marijuana settings.

Dani Geen’s family was lounging around the living room after a dinner of smoked brisket and baked beans when she broke the news: She planned to include marijuana in every part of her wedding. Her mother, Aura, practically jumped off the shabby-chic sofa. “You can’t do this!” she shouted.

“Mom,” Dani replied calmly. “It’s not going to be what you expect.”

After all, unlike that stereotype of the slothful stoner, Dani is an energetic force committed to the cannabis movement, assisting celebrity activist Steve D’Angelo at Harborside, a medical dispensary in Oakland, California, for almost a decade. She’s also become one of the world’s leading experts in dabbing, aka vaporizing concentrated cannabis.

Thirty-one-year-old Dani and her fiancé, 30-year-old Zak Walton, both struggle with serious medical conditions and have ditched prescription pain killers for cannabis: Dani has long dealt with fibromyalgia, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and Cushing syndrome, and Zak has struggled with a shattered herniated disk that causes him extreme nerve pain. At their wedding in August 2017, they both wanted to honor the place pot has held in their personal journeys, and their relationship — after all, they met about 12 years ago and quickly became smoking buddies.
So for the big day this past summer, they integrated marijuana into a classic California beach wedding.
 Dani and the bridesmaids carried bouquets studded with cannabis buds and flowers; Zak and the groomsmen wore boutonnieres starring cannabis leaves and buds. All of the special foliage came from Harborside’s farms. At the end of the ceremony, rather than reciting personalized vows or smashing a glass, “we sealed it with a dab,” Dani said. Then, to get the party started, everyone lit up a joint on a beach.
 That doesn’t begin to cover the rest of the evening, a reception for 70 guests held at a private event venue in Monterey. The 200-square-foot outdoor dab bar was stocked with 50 grams of hash, the 20-square-foot vaping area snuggled under a tall tree studded with twinkling lights, and the edibles bar featured six kinds of goodies. Of course, the vibe was more Ella Fitzgerald than Phish concert: Guests enjoyed a farm-to-table meal, including steak and salmon grilled while they watched, as well as a gluten-free, organic wedding cake.
 Then there were the other sweets: Think medicated macaroons, brownies, and cookies, medicated rose and lavender cotton candy (organic, of course), and a big glass jar of medicated chocolate-espresso bites.

Those who didn’t want to indulge could still treat themselves with non-medicated cupcakes as well as candies housed in chic mason jars. Beer, wine, and champagne also made an appearance, though Dani said she avoided hard alcohol because she “didn’t want to worry about overintoxication.” Everyone received a gift bag with more goodies too, and during the toasts, you could celebrate with “your preferred method of consumption,” said Dani. All of the cannabis was donated, with a retail value of around $8,000.
“The secret is that cannabis is probably a part of most American weddings whether or not the whole family knows it or not,” said D’Angelo. “It’s consumed discreetly and in private. Now it’s coming out of those shadows into the public realm.”
This is made possible by changing state laws regarding cannabis, such as California’s decision to legalize marijuana in November 2016. “We’re going to see cannabis take its place beside alcohol as another, different kind of option.”
At this wedding, though, not everyone partook, especially not the families of the bride and groom. Zak’s family in particular had been worried about coming to the event. “People were asking me if cannabis would be in the food or drink,” his mother, Gail Duboe, said. “I had to tell them it wouldn’t be forced on them.” She said that while she sometimes uses joints as incense and gives her dogs tinctures, she didn’t try anything at the wedding. Instead, she and her family enjoyed themselves by dancing the night away, and afterward said they had a blast. “My fear turned into total acceptance,” she explained.
 Dani’s mom, Aura, also came around. “It was the classiest wedding I’ve ever been to,” she gushed. “It was a calm, joyous, happy occasion.” She spent the evening cracking up at her 81-year-old mother, who was curious and wanted to try something herself. “She said it smelled good,” said Aura, “like flowers.” Though Dani’s grandmother resisted, another 83-year-old lady hit up the dab bar and told Aura it was the best wedding she’d ever been to.
“My vision came true,” Dani said afterward. “It was a low drama, mellow day. If I hadn’t had cannabis I would have been more stressed, but because I did, I could be more creative and enjoy the experience. And now people are asking me to help them plan their cannabis weddings.”

Pro Canabis Doctor found dead.War against the herb?

A holistic doctor who was an advocate of cannabis as a medical treatment has been found dead.

Popular and well-known former Miss Universe contestant Sonya Kay Forbes was found dead at her Cunningham Avenue, St. Andrew home, and the autopsy revealed the cause of death was a stab wound to the abdomen.

Dr. Forbes, 40 was known for being in support of using cannabis to treat and cure medical conditions, she was currently working on a groundbreaking study which was using cannabis to help people suffering from long term eye problems.

Dr. Forbes is just the latest in a long line of holistic doctors who have been found dead at home in mysterious circumstances.

The pressures of being a holistic doctor in a world led by Big Pharma are huge. To go against the status quo in terms of healthcare is a dangerous move, and many holistic doctors have talked about the pressures and threats from the mainstream pharmaceutical industry.

Marijuana in particular is one of the newest types of alternative drugs that holistic doctors such as Forbes have been promoting, and Big Pharma don’t like it.

Despite being legalized in around half of all U.S states now, heavy sanctions on the marijuana industry prove just how unsure and still wary the government are about letting people enjoy the benefits of this wonderful drug.

The close ties that Big Pharma share with the government due to billions of dollars of lobby money given each year means that one does not operate without the approval of the other.

Naturally, anyone who is an enemy of Big Pharma makes themselves an enemy of the government and vice versa.

Dr. Forbes was a former resident at Kingston Public Hospital and dedicated her life to spreading the message about how more people should be choosing alternative therapies such as marijuana instead of Big Pharma’s chemical drugs.

After the recent holistic doctor deaths, friends and family of Dr. Forbes say that she had made a point of telling them that she was ‘not suicidal’.

RJR News reported that investigators have said that Dr. Forbes died of a single stab wound to the stomach, and they have declined to say whether the wound was self inflicted or not.

Dr. Forbes was a well known public figure in her area and aside from her medical background, was also known for her former beauty queen days, when she participated in the Miss Jamaica World contest in 1999.

Growing the herb Indoors.The right way to do it.

Choosing a variety is of major importance.
Yields and quality of plants grown under artificial lights mostly depend on:

1. the seed variety,
2. whether the plants are grown from seeds or clones,
3. after how many days of growing the plants are put into flowering, and
4. the optimization of the climatic conditions of the grow-room.

Apart from "true breeding" varieties, our seed collection consists of different F-1 hybrids. Crossing two "true breeding" strains (hybridizing) gives F-1 hybrids that possess the so-called "Hybrid Vigor". This means that the F-1 generation is a lot more potent than either parent. F-1 generations also consist of uniform plants.

Growing cannabis indoors has seen a dramatic rise in popularity in recent years. When done properly it produces excellent quality stash which is usually much better than that sold on the streets. Growing cannabis indoors relies on the use of powerful artificial lights to replicate the effect of the sun. These lights typically take hundreds of Watts of electrical power to run and are commonly HPS (High Pressure Sodium) but fluorescent lights, metal halide, LED light and other kinds have all been used successfully.

Cannabis loves light and the successful indoor grower tries to deliver as much light as possible. Consider 250 watts/m² only as a minimum starting point and realistically aim for 2-3 times that level if possible. More light will mean bigger, denser buds and superior yields. As well as delivering high light levels the successful indoor grower keeps the plants as near the light as possible to maximise the light intensity reaching the leaves and buds. Often the personal medical or recreational grower will have a growing area of 1-2 m² designed below a single 400W or 600W high pressure sodium (HPS) lamp.

The indoor cannabis grower has to be careful that the plant doesn’t grow too near to the hot light and damage itself. If the light feels cool to the back of the hand it will be cool for the plant also. For a 400W lamp, growers may not want to allow plants to grow within 40-50cm of the bulb. Cannabis plants can be bent over and tied if they get too tall, some indoor growers deliberately train their plants this way to get as much of the plant as possible close (but not too close) to the high intensity light.

Certain strains respond well to having the growing tip of the plant pinched out (known as ‘topping’, ‘FIM’ or pinching) after the 4th or 5th leaf pair. The resulting plants are often smaller and bushy without the dominant main growth stem (or ‘cola’) and are preferred for some smaller growrooms.

Some indoor growers train the plants underneath a metal chickenwire-style screen allowing only the buds to grow vertically while the stem and growing part of the plant grow horizontally. This SCROG (screen of green) technique allows the indoor grower to keep as much of the bud growth as possible equidistant to the lamp, maximising the efficiency and yield.

Specialist suppliers offer ‘air cooled’ lights for the indoor grower that enclose the light in a glass casing. A fan forces air over the light and outside the growroom via tubing, keeping the grow room cool and allowing the plants to grow taller without burning.Grow rooms are typically kept between 24°C -30°C for optimum results. Higher temperatures can cause the plants to wilt and cooler temperatures may slow down growth. The plants will need a gentle breeze from a fan, and a steady supply of fresh air which can be from your house or from outside. Stale air from the growroom is normally continually extracted outdoors by a fan and de-odorised with a carbon filter.

Those indoor growers that do get caught are often betrayed by the smell of their growroom, so some also invest in ozone generators to further remove odours from the exhausted grow room air.

Germinating cannabis seeds can be done in various ways and the internet is full of cannabis grow forums that document various methods. One simple method is to simply place seeds about 1cm below the surface of firmly pressed damp soil. A film of kitchen cellophane over the surface helps keep conditions moist and after a few days of temperatures around 20-25°C the seeds should germinate. Growing from cuttings of ‘mother’ plants is an alternative to growing from seeds.

In the first stages of life the seedlings are happy to start with lower light intensities often a metre below an HPS light, or closer to fluorescent lights. The artificial lights are normally ‘on’ for 18-24 hours per day. During this time the seedlings are in a state of vegetative growth, they will continue to grow roots, leaves and branches but no bud.

By reducing daily light to ~12 hours the cannabis plant transitions into the ‘flowering’ phase. This stage normally requires 8-10 weeks (but more for certain strains) and it is during this time that the female flowers form. During this stage the plants gain a lot of bulk and will tolerate more nutrients and very bright light.Some growers introduce supplemental lighting to ensure the very best yields. At the end of this process the plant is cut down and the buds (unpollinated female flowers) are dried. Some growers harvest the plants when they see the trichomes start to transition from clear to cloudy (this requires a powerful magnifying glass/scope to see). This often coincides with the bud producing lots of red/orange pistil hairs. Some smokers prefer bud harvested early, others prefer late- harvested bud. When growing- your-own it is you that decides exactly how you like it!

In general, longer periods of vegetative growth will grow larger plants and support greater yields during subsequent flowering. Typically 2-6 weeks of vegetative growth are used and during subsequent flowering the plants may increase to 2 or 3 times their original height. Some growers use the ‘sea of green’ (SOG) method, this uses just a few days of vegetative growth before switching to ‘flowering’ conditions. This technique produces small plants of low/medium yield, but allows for fast production.

Male plants are nearly always destroyed by the indoor grower as they don’t yield any buds, and given the chance they will pollinate the female plants reducing them to seed.

Feminised seeds are popular with the indoor growers as they virtually eliminate the possibility of male plants. For many indoor growers feminised seeds from a quality supplier are regarded as the only way to go. If male flowers appear at the end of a female flowering cycle don’t panic, simply pinch off the male flowers. The female buds are mature and unaffected by the appearance of isolated rogue male flowers late in the flowering cycle.

The indoor growroom allows plants to be grown in soil or any number of other grow mediums. When growing in soil the cannabis plant benefits from 25% perlite or coco fibre being included. This allows better aeration of the soil. One common mistake by inexperienced growers is the tendency to overwater soil-grown plants. Get to know the weight of your plant pots and water only when the plants need it. Over watering soil-grown plants will reduce yield/quality and slow down plant development.

Growing cannabis indoors will require use and understanding of plant feeds. This is not complicated, all the plant feed does is deliver essential nutrients to the roots, it doesn’t matter whether the roots are growing in clay pebbles, rockwool, coir or a hydroponic system. Even soil-grown plants will need additional nutrients when the soil has been depleted. Read the instructions on the nutrient labels and avoid the beginners temptation to exceed recommended levels. The experienced gardener can ‘read’ his plants and will learn when to water and feed plants.

Indoor growing allows the plants to develop under closely supervised grow conditions without the normal array of outdoor pests. Once the grower has the right system in place it is a predictable way of growing great quality cannabis, a lot better than weed sold by street dealers. The main challenge for many indoor growers is dealing with the characteristic cannabis smell so that no-one notices it.

Recreational and medical cannabis popularity now extends far outside the earths warm/tropical climates, so for many growing cannabis indoors is the only option. Growing cannabis indoors has never been as popular as it is today, nor has it been as easy to produce superb quality weed. Professional seed suppliers, equipment providers, advice and information are all available on the internet.

Of course it all really begins with great quality seeds – get them from a supplier you can trust.

Entrepreneurs and investors are leaving their high-paying corporate jobs to focus on the fast-growing marijuana industry.

 

 

If the predictions turn out to be true, the legal cannabis market will see more revenue than the NFL.

 Alan Gertner used to be head of Google’s Asia-Pacific sales team, but he had decided to trade his comfortable corporate job for something a lot less conventional. He is currently building a cannabis brand from a small Toronto office. Gertner managed to raise 10 million dollars in capital in just 10 months. Eric Eslao, a former senior production manager at Apple, also jumped on the bandwagon about a year ago to focus on producing cannabis chocolate bars.

The legal cannabis market is currently worth about eight billion dollars. According to Arcview Market Research, it is predicted to triple in size by 2021. If these predictions come true, the legal cannabis market will outperform America’s most profitable sports organization, the NFL, which aims to reach 25 billion dollars by 2027.
The significant influx of capital is what helps finance the paychecks of 150,000 workers in the legal cannabis industry in the United States. The industry had a job growth of 20 percent this year. The stigma of joining this industry, legal risks and challenges, and mixed signals of Donald Trump’s administration, however, may present a problem.The banks that work with cannabis-related businesses operate in states where the industry is legalized and are limited to accepting cash deposits. On the other hand, Americans increasingly support marijuana legalization, according to a Reuters poll.
Ian Laird, the co-founder of New Leaf Data Services LLC, said, “The evolution or rollback of prohibition is inevitable. It’s not like it stopped anyone from getting it.”


Cannabis investment is still dominated by wealthy individuals, although that is expected to change as the industry grows. The wide-open landscape of opportunity is what draws investors. They are focused on support services and technology. This is how they manage to bypass the legal risk cultivating and selling cannabis still entails.
At the moment, the cannabis business seems to be about risk arbitrage. Medical cannabis producers are experiencing high returns because the risk is currently high. That too is expected to change soon, since the industry itself keeps creating jobs, as well as tax revenue. Apart from that, Americans are becoming aware of the futility in preventing marijuana use.

Police chiefs in Germany call for cannabis to be decriminalised

A POLICE chief in Germany has called for the consumption of cannabis to be decriminalised — saying it stigmatises people and “allows criminal careers to start”.

GERMANY could be one of the next countries to make sweeping changes to its cannabis consumption laws.

Pressure has been put on German politicians after the head of an organisation representing the country’s police called for the consumption of cannabis to be decriminalised.
The European powerhouse has allowed some patients to get marijuana as a prescription medication since last March, but officials have stressed that doesn’t mean it will be legalised for non-medical purposes.
On Monday that the head of the BDK (the Association of German Criminal Officers) told The Bild daily that the group favours a “complete decriminalisation of cannabis consumers”. Andre Schulz argued that the current system stigmatises people and “allows criminal careers to start”.
Mr Schulz argued that “the prohibition of cannabis was, viewed historically, arbitrary” and is “neither intelligent nor expedient”.
He added: “In the history of mankind there has never been a society without the use of drugs. This is something that has to be accepted. My prediction is cannabis will not be banned for long in Germany.”
However, he said that marijuana must remain off limits for drivers.
Germany is not the only European country which is having a debate on its stance on cannabis.
Steve Rolles, a senior policy analyst on drug policy in the UK, told The Independent that British police are also calling for the decriminalisation of cannabis use.
“It’s always welcome to hear calls for drug welfare reform coming from the police, because they have the authority of frontline experience of the failure of the war on drugs,” he told the newspaper.
“What’s happening in Germany is also a case of what’s happening in the UK, where we’re seeing increasing numbers of serving police questioning the status quo and calling for a debate on reforms.
“Several police authorities are putting in place de facto decriminalisation schemes, where people caught in possession of cannabis aren’t prosecuted but are diverted into education or treatment programs.
“If we want to deal with the problem of the illegal market we need to legalise and responsibly regulate the production and supply of cannabis and other drugs as well, and there are many police forces making that argument.”
It follows sweeping changes to laws across US states in recent years. Last month, three of the country’s most populous states, California, Massachusetts and Nevada, legalised marijuana use.
Meanwhile, Florida, Arkansas and North Dakota have voted to approve medical marijuana laws.
As the sixth largest economy in the world in terms of gross domestic product, California is expected to bring in as much as $1.3 billion per year as it gets set to tax marijuana sales.
Recreational marijuana was first approved in 2012 by Washington state and Colorado, and later by voters in Oregon, Alaska and the District of Columbia.

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